Apparatus for the separation of hydrocarbons



W W9. E. R. cox ET AL 1,733,870

' APPARATUS FOR THE SEPARATION OF HYDROCARBONS Filed Dec. 1, 1927 INVEN OR. Edwin 1?. Cox; Howard S. Cole BY W fl w 11 ATTORNEYS.

" lasma D... 10.1929

- 15 of illustrating t umT-so STATES "Parser o-Frice Y .nnwni a cox, or vnmcn, AND now ann :5. com; Jn br'ms menus, oamrom, assrenons 'ro camronm rnrnonnun-oonromrron; or Los menu, can- IFORNIA, A CORPORATIONOF CALIFORNIA Arrmrus roR 'rnn smmnarron or mnnocmous Application filed December 1,1927. Serial No. 286,897.

Our invention relates to a tray or series of trays suitable for an absorber, evaporator or fractionating column for .the separation of h drocarbons or other liquids having fractions of difi'erent volatilit The object of this invention is to so distribute the liquid hydrocarbons upon the tray or trays, that, consider ing the-concentration of any component of the liquid, the difference in concentration between the liquid upon any portion of one tray, and

that upon the corresponding portion of the tray immediately above or below, shall. substantially equal throughout the tray.

The followin example is for-the purpose he type of progressive concentrations to be obtained in our, invention, and is solely intended for clarification. Assuming thata series of trays are used and numbored from the top downward, that the liquid travels downward, and that the enrichment is one percent per tray; ifthe concentration at I any point on tray number four'is five and one half per cent, the concentration at a oint immediately above this on tray num er three would be four and one-half per cent, and at the corresponding point on tray number 'five would be six and one-half per cent. Weaccomplish this by causing the liquid to travel in the same direction and upon parallel lines so at all corresponding points in vertical alignment. a

We attain this by means of the apparatus illhustkii-ated in the accompanying drawing, in w 10 Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a typical absorbenwith eight trays as seen on the broken section line 1-1 of Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section as seen on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a tray in plan View; Figtfiis a section as seen on the line 3- 3 of Fig. 1, the down spouts from the adjacent upper tray not being shown; Fig. 4 is a section of a fragment of the absorber as seen at right angles to the section of Fig. 1 and on anenlarged scale; and Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a tray removed from the shell.

The absorber comprises a closed shell 10 having an inlet 11 for gas at the bottom and an outlet pipe 12 at the top. An inlet pipe 13 for the absorbent liquid has two branches 14.

The outlet for the absorbent liquid is by pipe 15. Absorbent liquid passes into the top and is spread flowing downwardly over trays arranged intermediate the top and bottomof the shell absorbing gas in its travel and being progressively enriched until it reaches the bottom of the shell passing outwardly through pipe 15. The gas which is the solute enters at 11, passes upwardly, the undissolved gas passing outlthrough pipe 12. The invention resides particularly in the trays which will now be described.

As the trays are alike in structure, it is sulficient to describe the details of one and its functional relation to the others. In the following description, dimensions are givenmerely to illustrate. These admit of wide variation. Each tray consists of a flat bottom plate 16, a division wall 17, six inches high, extending through the center, two high or distributing m dam plates 18, four inches high,two low or liquid level maintaining dams 19 two inches high, and two down spouts 20, six inches in diameter and extending to within one and onehalf inch of the next tray below. The portion of the tray between the dam plates is erforated throughout with one-eighth inch holes, spaced one-half inch centers.

The operation is as follows: The absorbent oil entering at 13, divides into two streams in branches 14, which deliver the oiliinto the intake reservoirs 21 formed by division wall -17 and high dams 18. Here it overflows over dams 18, flows across the tray and overflows over low dams 19 into discharge reservoirs 22 from which it is conducted by downspout 20 intointake reservoir 21 on the tray below, this being on the opposite side of the division wall 17. This path is secured by inclining-the downspouts as shown in-Fig. 4 or any other suit able conducts. Thus, the oil flows downward through the absorber in two roughly helicalpaths which are substantially independent, and unite at the bottom, where it is conducted away through outlet pipe 15. They would be entirely independent except that a small hole 23 is provided at the cen-; ter of each division plate 17 to equalize the streams.

P c. throug e perforations each p t4; and..-

bubb through the head of .011 mam? ma'ybe o ,The entering at 11 tained ere-b the dams p out at 12. Itisthis bubb g action which secures the intimate contact which is necessary for eflicient absorption.

The rogressi "ve enrichment of the oil owed from tray to tray. Assuming for convenience an enrichment of one per cent for each ass across a tray. it is apparent that'the tion between corresponding points on successive trays is always one "be noted that the path 0 travel across a r cent. It will tra .is slightly shorter. near the division This feature, however, we do not consider to be entirel essentialto satisfactory operation andt e slope is slight.

In eneral, what we regard as novel and value le in our invention'is the combined attainment of two results, viz (1), a uniprisin a ttom a central division wall; 7 two distributing dams, one each on opposite form difierence in concentration of correspondmg parts of successive trays, and (2),

a uniform rate of enrichmentin difierent .with perforate bottom sections.

parts of each tray. I

What we claim is:

1. A tra of the character described comsides ofsaid wall and spaced along the length thereof to form dia onally disposed "intake reservoirs, two-liqui ,level maintain- 'fi erence in concentra- '1 ing dams with having outwa uses-1o u wardly reservoirs located at opposite ends,

there being intermediate absorption reservoirs between said high and low dams with their bottoms l fierforam, said high dams y and downwardly sloping crests so as to uniformly distribute the liquid over the tray.

4. A tray of the character described comprising a central division wall; two distributing dams, one on each side of and at oppositeends. of said wall forming diagonally disposed discharge reservoirs, there being absorption reservoirs intermediate said distributing and liquid level maintainrforate bottom sections, the crests of sai distributing dams sloping outwardly and downwardly so as to uniforml distribute the liquid over the tray.

5. X tray of the character described comprising a central division wall with an' equalizing passage therethrough; two distributing dams withoutwardly and downwardly sloping crests, one each on op site sides of and at opposite ends of sai wall forming diagonally disposed intake reservoirs; two liquid level maintaining dams, one each on opposite sides of and at opposite ends of said wall forming diagonally dis- .discharge reservoirs, there being absorptlon reservoirs intermediate and distributing and liquid level maintainingdams In witness that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto subscribed our names this 29th day of September, 1927. A

HOWARD S. COLE, Jn. EDWIN R. COX.

ing dams, one each on opposite sides of said wall formin diagonally disposed discharge reservoirs, t ere being absor tion reservoirs formed intermediate said distributing and liguid level maintaining dams one on each :i e of said wall with' perforate bottom secions.

2. A tra of the character described. comprising a ottom, a central division wall with an equalizing passage therethrough; two distributing dams one each on opposite sides of said wall and spaced along the length thereof to form dia onally disposed intake reservoirs; two liqui level, maintaining dams, one each on-opposite sides of said wall forming diagonally disposed discharge reservoirs, there being absorption reservoirs intermediate said distributin and liquid maintaining dams with per orate bottom sections.

3.. A circular tray of the character dey 'scribed com rising 'a bottom, a division wall, high ams on opposite sides of and forming with said wall intake reservoirs 1ocatedat opposite ends low dams on o 0- site sides of and forming with said wlll dlfl- 

